Happy, Not Carefree
by Kiyo Kage
Summary: Daltonverse.  Everyone can think of Shane as a carefree, happy guy, and that might be true.  But Reed's seen a different side of Shane, a side not even Blaine has seen.


Author's Note: This is based off the fanfiction Dalton by CP Coulter. It is the best Glee fanfic you will read and you should probably read it before this, because it centers on two of her OCs, Reed and Shane. Also, there's a time jump in the middle, but it shouldn't be too confusing.

Disclaimer: Don't own Glee. Also don't own Reed or Shane. I would be the happiest girl alive if I did.

XxXxXx

Reed knew Blaine didn't mean it in a malevolent way. And it was the way most people saw Shane-glittery, as Reed had called him once. Shane was one of those guys who always wore a smile and more often than not was sighted busting a move to music that was only heard in his head.

But tonight, when Blaine was lounging in Reed and Kurt's room, and he said that he was happy that he had come out, and not Shane, because Shane was too emotional to be able to deal with the fallout that Blaine was currently dealing with, Reed had to force himself not to say something. Because he knew that Shane wasn't carefree, wasn't incapable of dealing. He was dealing, and Reed was the only one who knew.

The night before, Shane's last night in Ohio, Kurt had spent the night with Blaine to give the new couple some much needed privacy. They didn't do much, just watched YouTube videos and cuddled, neither one willing to say the goodbye that was inevitable. They had fallen asleep at two in the morning, still wrapped up in each other's arms. Reed had thought the night would be perfect.

He was wrong. Instead of waking up to the alarm that was set for eight, Reed woke up to Shane whimpering around five. Reed was panicking; he didn't know how to take care of someone else. And there was no amount of comforters that Reed could help with the terrified whimpers that were coming out of his boyfriend. After not even a minute, Reed was shaking Shane awake, tears building up because damn it, Shane sounded so scared.

XxXxXx

"What were you dreaming about?" Reed asked softly, his hand still smoothing Shane's hair.

"Nothing," Shane mumbled, closing his eyes.

"Hey, don't do that. If this is going to work, you don't get to shut me out. I mean, come on, until now you wouldn't stop taking," Reed was rambling, but he just couldn't get Shane's whimpers out of his head.

"Just…bad memories," Shane whispered, sighing as Reed's other arm found its way around his waist. "Of when Blaine came out."

"I don't know much about that," Reed admitted. "I know your dad didn't react well, and that Kurt knows what happened, but that's it. What happened that night?"

"I was an idiot," Shane started after a few moments of silence. "Neither one of us was planning on coming out. Dad was always going on about how disgusting gays were, how it was a choice, how they were all going to hell. We even dated girls to make sure he didn't find out. But I ended up dating Micah, and everything kinda got messed up."

"Is Micah one of the guys from…what did Blaine call you guys? The Fabulous Five?" Reed asked when Shane fell silent once more.

"Yeah. And Blaine told me a million times, don't bring him home. It wasn't safe. But we never listened. Almost every day, he came to our house with me. And one day, Dad decided to come home early. I don't even remember why. But Micah was on our couch, and I was in the kitchen getting us snacks, and Dad entered at the same time Blaine did," Shane was starting to cry, and he hadn't even gotten to the worst part of that night. Reed remained silent, holding Shane tighter.

"I heard Blaine hurry up and say that Micah was his boyfriend, and that I was still at dance practice. Not that it helped any, Dad hates that I dance. Says it's only for girls. Anyway, Dad started yelling, and he literally threw Micah out the door. I wanted to tell Dad that it wasn't true, that Micah was my boyfriend and Blaine didn't do anything wrong, but Blaine saw me and shook his head. I knew that if I stepped in and told the truth, everything would get worse. And then…then he went for Blaine," he was sobbing by this point, struggling to get his words out.

"I was hiding in the kitchen, curled up against the counter. I heard him slam Blaine into the gun cabinet Dad has in the living room. He was yelling, and Mom was just…quiet. She didn't do anything! She was just standing there, watching her husband beat her kid! And I was hoping she would do something, anything to make him stop. But I kept on hearing Blaine get hit, and I was so sure he was going to kill Blaine! He was going to kill him because I was an idiot, because I couldn't think before I did anything!" Shane's voice wasn't any louder than a whisper, but Reed heard every word as if it was being yelled.

"I kept on trying to stop crying, I was terrified that he would hear me and know Blaine was lying. Mom finally said something about the fact that Blaine was bleeding, and was able to get Dad to join her upstairs. I ran out as soon as I heard the door closed. I just had to make sure Blaine was still breathing, that I hadn't killed Blaine because I was too stupid to realize bringing Micah home was a bad idea. I kept on apologizing, but I couldn't come up with the right words. I mean, it's my fault Dad beat him like that. It should have been me on that floor; it should have been me that Mom had to draw Dad away from," Shane curled into Reed, finally losing the ability to speak as he just sobbed, hands gripping the front of Reed's pajamas. Reed just gripped Shane tighter, lacking the words to help his boyfriend.

They lay like this until Shane started speaking again, which had to be at least fifteen minutes later.

"I never heard from Micah again. I think Dad threatened him from contacting either me or Blaine again. And Blaine…after we managed to get him bandaged up, it wasn't even two weeks before he was preparing to go here. And I was so happy that he was going to be safe, but…that left me alone with them. And there have been so many times when I've almost told Dad I'm gay, just so that he can disown me and I won't have to be around the person who did THAT to my brother."

"Shane, you know it's not your fault that your dad hurt Blaine, right?" Reed whispered, gently gripping Shane's chin and moving so that he was able to stare into the other boy's eyes.

"How is it not? If I hadn't brought Micah home-"

"Then something else would have happened, Blaine still would have come out, and your dad would have still reacted the same way."

"But I should have done something!"

"What could you have done, though? Blaine did that to protect you, you getting caught in the middle would have just ended in both of you on that floor," Reed gave Shane a slight smile. "And if Blaine hadn't come to Dalton, we never would have met."

"Do me a favor?" Shane asked.

"Anything," Reed answered truthfully. At that moment in time, he was willing to do anything for the fragile boy in his arms.

"Don't tell Blaine about this. I have to be happy around him, and I'm truly happy most of the time. But he doesn't know about this, and he did what he did so that I could be the happy, carefree guy I was."

XxXxXx

Reed loved Blaine, he really did, but sometimes the older Anderson said things about how sensitive Shane couldn't handle something, and Reed had to make sure he didn't say anything in return. Because Blaine was a smart guy, did he really think that Shane had come through that experience without having some lasting trauma.

Blaine didn't get it. But, lucky for Shane, Reed was there when he couldn't go to his brother. And he'd let everyone believe that nothing was wrong, because that's what Shane wanted.


End file.
